‘Man Who Runs the Beatles’ by Adrian Rawlins (The Australian Jewish News - June 19, 1964

‘Man Who Runs the Beatles’ by Adrian Rawlins (The Australian Jewish News - June 19, 1964)

It was through this interview that Brian Epstein met photographer Robert Whitaker. Writer and poet Adrian Rawlins, who interviewed Epstein for the piece, enlisted his friend Whitaker to take photographs. Epstein was impressed with the results and offered Whitaker the position of staff photographer at NEMS.

MAN WHO RUNS THE BEATLES

AFTER one of the biggest welcomes in their careers, the Beatles on their arrival at their Melbourne hotel, were confronted by a hysterical crowd of 20,000 fans.

John, Paul, George and Ringo stood on the balcony, surrounded by security officers, pressmen, radio and television newsmen and the inevitable D.J.s.

Apparently it was one of the latter, himself caught in the mob hysteria, who remarked that the group were greeting their fans “like dictators addressing a mob rally.”

On this cue, the boys swung into an improvised routine and gave mock Nazi salutes.

A photograph of this incident appeared in a Melbourne daily last Monday.

Phone calls, with comments on the incident, have been received at the “Jewish News” and also at the Southern Cross.

I spoke with the Beatles’ Jewish Manager, Brian Epstein, on Monday morning. He is a quietly spoken and urbane man, though does not seem to be unduly sophisticated.

He was mildly shocked and to some degree incredulous that anyone should take the incident to heart.

“It was,’’ he said, “simply an off the cuff joke.”

Epstein, 29, comes of a well to do Liverpool family. He attended “a great number of schools” because he was a “very poor scholar” and at 22 spent a year at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He didn’t think much of that, so left.

“I was interested in a great number of things,” he says, “interior decorating, display, a number of things really.” But finally he went into the family electrical business. And it was there as manager of the radio and records division that he first heard the name of the Beatles.

A girl came in and asked for a record by the group. There wasn’t one but the group itself was appearing a mere hundred yards up the road. That was in August 1961.

WANTED TO GO 

He heard and liked them, though he found them “dead scruffy and untidy”. He set about changing the image. He succeeded and the rest is history.

During our chat, the screams and calls of expectant fans floated up to the 12th floor front window like a piteous sea of diseased sound, rising to a peak of despairing imploration then receding to nothing.

Brian Epstein, in a discreet navy and white check shirt with tasteful monograph over his heart, slender slacks and shoes of soft black Italian leather, spoke on, unheeding, adjusted his tie with perfectly manicured nails.

He had, as I entered, instructed the telephonist to screen calls as “all sorts of people" had been getting through to him, including fans.

“The fans should be obvious,“ he had said.

Referring to the much published Israeli incident, Epstein said that he had made arrangements for the group to appear there in September this year.

When the announcement that the group would not be allowed to perform there was made, he closed negotiations. The Israeli promotors were aghast.

Epstein wanted to wait till an official retraction of this statement which had not been official, was made. None came and so the group will not appear in Israel, much as he and the boys themselves would like it to.

Though in February of this year he said in America that he had thoughts of bringing the group back to America “in August or September”.

The Beatles are not the only iron in Mr. Epstein’s well controlled fire. At present his “stable’’ includes 8 other pop acts, including Gerry and the Pacemakers.

As one of the Beatles’ most serious critics has pointed out, the vitality of the Mersey sound should dominate the hit charts for quite some time.

Mr. Epstein should then have more big names if, and when, the Beatles fade away.

Brian Epstein, though he now lives most of the time in London, is still a member of the family shule, Greenbank Drive Hebrew Congregation.

His father, Harry, has just joined the Board of Management and, says a proud son, “God willing, he should be President in 8 years’ time.”